Just recently we discussed how SMS/text messaging was the old faithful of the mobile industry. While there is so much hype surrounding QR and apps (for good reason), one shouldn’t overlook the benefits that an SMS campaign can bring to the table. Perhaps CBS read that article because they have decided to implement an SMS campaign to promote their new fall lineup instead of using QR codes. Philippe Browning, Vice President of Advertising and Operations at CBS Mobile stated the reason for going with SMS over QR codes was, “everyone has phones that support SMS.”
CBS will use different calls to action in various print publications to deliver 60-second video clips of their new fall series to the mobile devices of interested consumers. Each ad in each publication will be targeted to a different demographic and based on the call to action CBS will be able to measure the effectiveness of each advertisement.
This concept can easily be replicated within one’s real estate marketing to measure the effectiveness of different forms of advertising you may be running. By creating multiple text codes for a property, one for each of your various advertisements (i.e. For Sale sign, Craigslist, The Real Estate Book, flyer) you can measure the effectiveness of those ads by how many people text in for more information on each.
Not only does this allow you to capture leads of interested buyers (SMS technology is designed to capture the cell phone number of the person texting), but also allows you to measure the ROI of your various forms of advertisement. This strategy is something Lisa Waldeck, Regional Director of HSA Home Warranty, often coaches the real estate agents she works with on. Agents who have implemented these practices have routinely seen the number of leads they are able to capture increase dramatically leading to a higher conversion rate. In addition, they are able to differentiate what’s working from what’s not working based on the success or lack thereof across the advertisements.
HSA was the first real estate related firm to subsidize the cost of text-for-info services for real estate agents through the purchase of advertisements within the service. As consumer demand for access to real estate information via mobile devices continues to grow, real estate agents will be forced to adopt on large scales. This creates great opportunities for real estate related firms like HSA Home Warranty to promote their message to both real estate agents and homebuyers through the purchase of advertisements.
For more information on text-for-info services for real estate agents, visit www.mobilerealestateid.com.
